barrettThe mood was joyful and soulful as thousands of people in San Diego turned out for the annual Juneteenth Freedom Festival hosted by The Cooper Family Foundation. Despite losing a $25,000 NEA grant in this new anti-diversity trend in the USA,, the festivities took place once again in San Diego’s Memorial Park in Logan Heights. It was a love gathering full of remembrance about the meaning and celebration of Juneteenth.
Playing Together hosted a Jewish solidarity tent for the third year in a row, centering and highlighting African American Jews, sharing about the diversity that exists in the Jewish Diaspora and talking about the African American-Jewish American civil rights alliance and what Playing Together Project is doing about it, today.
With the help of a brochure from the local StandWithUs chapter, we were also able to show the diversity of Jewish people in various lands. The reception was, as usual, very warm and people LOVED the educational display board we made of Black Jews.
People also positively welcomed and asked questions about two books we had on hand – “Uncomfortable Conversations with a Jew” by Emmanuel Acho & Noa Tishby and the book “Zionism and the Black Church” by Dumisani Washington.
Volunteers came out to hep set up the tent, staff it and breakdown at the close of the day – thank you for the assistance!
The weather was a bit challenging, with grey skies and wind most of the day, but thanks to the donations we received, we were able to purchase weights for our tent and did not blow away like one of our exhibiting neighbors! Thank you to everyone who made it possible!